git-branch

List all local branches

$ git branch

$ git branch -a

$ git branch [branch_name]

$ git branch [branch_name] && git checkout [branch_name]

$ git branch -d [branch_name]

$ git branch -D [branch_name]

$ git branch -m [new_name]

$ git branch -u [origin/branch_name]

$ git branch -v

git branch [OPTIONS] [BRANCH-NAME] [START-POINT]

git branch lists, creates, renames, and deletes branches. Without arguments, it lists existing local branches, marking the current branch with an asterisk.
Branches are lightweight pointers to commits, allowing parallel development workflows. Creating a branch does not switch to it; use git checkout or git switch to change branches.
Remote-tracking branches (origin/main, etc.) are read-only references to the state of branches on remote repositories. They are updated by git fetch.

-a, --all

List both local and remote-tracking branches.

List remote-tracking branches only.

Delete a branch (must be fully merged).

Force delete a branch regardless of merge status.

Rename a branch.

Force rename even if target name exists.

Copy a branch.

Set upstream tracking branch.

Remove upstream tracking information.

Show SHA1 and commit subject for each branch.

List branches merged into current branch.

List branches not merged into current branch.

List branches containing the specified commit.

Deleting a branch with -d fails if the branch has unmerged changes. Use -D to force deletion, but unmerged work will be lost (though commits remain recoverable via reflog temporarily). Cannot delete the currently checked-out branch.

Branching has been a core Git feature since its creation by Linus Torvalds in 2005. Git's lightweight branching model, where branches are simply pointers to commits rather than full directory copies, was revolutionary and enabled workflows like GitFlow and GitHub Flow.

git-checkout(1), git-switch(1), git-merge(1), git-fetch(1)